When the effects of climate change are felt in poor countries, men have an easier time dealing with the impact than women, so says the Nobel Peace laureate anyway. Mothers have the tendency to stay put where they are despite drought, deforestation or crop failure while men gravitate to regions that have more favorable conditions.

"Many destructive activities against the environment disproportionately affect women, because most women in the world, and especially in the developing world, are very dependent on primary natural resources: land, forests, waters," said Wangari Maathai of Kenya.

"Women are very immediately affected, and usually women and children can't run away," said Maathai, who won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize for her work on sustainable development.

"Men can trek and go looking for greener pastures in other areas in other countries ... but for women, they're usually left on site to face the consequences," she said. "So when there is deforestation, when there is drought, when there is crop failure, it is the women and children who are the most adversely affected."

It's no surprise that children are severely impacted by the fallout from warming temperatures - UNICEF said so last week but situations such as the one in Darfur are bringing the plight of women to the forefront as well. Jody Williams, another Nobel Peace winner said climate change is threatening security in areas such as Darfur, with women being sent on missions such as to collect water from outside refugee camps because they are more likely to be raped instead of killed. Men venturing out would likely be killed, so despite the threat to women, they are being sent anyway. Williams and Maathai firmly believe that the U.S. should stop offering aid for environmentally sound development and should instead focus on reducing pollution and greenhouse gas emissions in the country.

"As long as the United States of America doesn't take its leadership position, the rest of the world hides behind her and wants to say, 'she is the greatest polluter, she isn't doing anything, why should I do something?'" Maathai said.

» Reuters Environment